Fluid transfer device



March 26, 1963 COOLANT E. F. KURZlNSKl 3,082,997

FLUID TRANSFER DEVICE Filed May 3, 1960 IN V EN TOR.

29 EDWARD F. KURZINSKI A TTORNE YS United rates Patent 3,082,997 FLUID TRANSFER DEVICE Edward F. Kurzinski, Allentown, Pa., assignor, by rnesne assignments, to Air Products and Chemicals, Inc, Trexlertown, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 3, 1960, Ser. No. 26,448 3 Claims. (Cl. 26634) This invention relates to improvements in fluid transfer devices and more particularly to devices for introducing fluid into a high temperature reaction zone.

Fluid transfer devices may be used for introducing a fluid, such as oxygen, into the combustion zone of a metallurgical furnace. For example, in the steel industry, oxygen is introduced into metallurgical furnaces including open hearth furnaces, converters, and electrical furnaces to increase steel output without incurring major capital investment. Efficient performance is obtained by blowing the oxygen directly onto the molten bath and for this purpose a fluid transfer device, sometimes referred to as a lance, is extended within the furnace with its discharge end in close proximity with the surface of the bath. In operation, the transfer device may be subject to temperatures in excess of 4000 F. and adequate cooling of the device is necessary in order to maintain the process and obtain an economical life span of the device. Also, it is advantageous to direct the oxygen onto a large area of the bath while utilizing the smallest possible number of devices.

There are a number of fluid transfer'devices presently in use for introducing oxygen into metallurgical furnaces. These devices are "generally fabricated from three concen trically spaced tubes, the oxygen being passed through the innermost tube and cooling water being directed inwardly through one of the annular spaces about the center tube and outwardly through the remaining annular space. One of the disadvantages of the prior devices is the difliculty of controlling and interrelating water volume and velocity as a consequence of the difference in cross-sectional areas of the spaces provided for inward and outward flow of cooling water. the problems presented by prior devices become more severe when a plurality of discharge nozzles are used to increase the area of the bath impinged upon by the oxygen.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a novel fluid transfer device for operation under high temperature conditions.

Another object is to provide a fluid transfer device including a novel cooling arrangement which eliminates coolant velocity control problems.

Still another object is to provide a fluid transfer device of the foregoing character including a plurality of discharge nozzles.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a fluid transfer device of the multiple nozzle discharge type provided with a novel cooling arrangement for maintaining efficient cooling in regions of the device subject to high temperatures.

The above and other objects of the invention are achieved by the provision of a fluid transfer device including a hollow outer member and a hollow inner member located within the outer member in overlapping relationship with the outer surface of the inner member spaced from the inner surface of the outer member to define a chamber extending substantially throughout the overlapping region in which a plurality of spaced elongated members are located.

The foregoing will be more fully understood from the following detailed description considered in connection Furthermore,

transfer device embodying the principles of the present invention. It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are designed for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference for the latter purpose being had to the appended claims.

In the drawing, in which similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:

FIGURE 1 is an elevational view, partly in cross section, of a fluid transfer device constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a view in cross-section taken along the lines 22. of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 3 is an end view of the device of FIGURE 1 showing the discharge nozzles.

With reference to the drawings, a fluid transfer device is shown therein including a hollow inner member It) defining a passageway 11 located within a hollow outer member 12 in overlapping, spaced relation therewith to provide an intervening chamber 13. The members 1t) and 12 may be of circular cross-section and positioned in concentric relation to provide a chamber 13 of annular cross-section as shown in the drawings. A plurality of elongated hollow members 14 providing passageways 15 are located in the chamber 13, the elongated members 14 being spaced from each other and extending longitudinally of the inner and outer members 10 and 12.. If desired, the members 14 may be of circular cross-section, positioned in equally spaced relation in the chamber 13, and in contact with or secured to the outer surface of the inner member 10 as shown in the drawing.

The hollow outer member 12 includes an outer end portion 16 and an inner end portion '17 connected in end-to-end relation, the outer end portion 16 including spaced fluid inlet connection 18 and coolant outlet connection 19. The outer end portion 16 inwardly of the outlet connection 19 is adapted to cooperate with struc ture not shown for supporting the fluid transfer device in the wall or roof of the furnace with the inner end portion 17 extending into the furnace. The inner end portion 17 may have a wall thickness less than the wall thickness of the outer end portion 17 and may be constructed of material different from the material of the outer end portion and may also be made up of a plurality of sections such as sections .20 and 21. The various sections of the inner end portion may be joined together and the inner end portion may be joined to the outer end portion by any convenient means such as by brazing or welding, for example. The unconnected end of the portion 17 which [extends furthermost into the furnace terminates in a dome-shaped closure 21 which may be welded or brazed to the section 21. The inner hollow member 19 extends throughout the length of the outer hollow member :11 with one end 22, its innermost end, terminated in spaced relation with the dome 21 and with its other or outermost end 23 spaced beyond the outer end of the portion 16 and terminated in a cool-ant inlet connection 24.

The elongated hollow members 14 extend throughout the length of the inner end portion 17 and throughout a portion of the outer end portion 16 terminating in ends 25 located beyond the coolant outlet connection 19. Sealing means 26 is located adjacent the ends 25 of the elongated hollow members in sealing contact with the elongated hollow members and in sealing contact with the inner surface of the outer end portion 16 and the outer surface of the hollow inner member 10, and sealing means 27 is located between the inner surface of the portion 16 and the outer surface of the member 10 on the other side of the fluid inlet connection 18 to form a the furnace charge.

member 10. The nozzle structures 29 pass through suitable openings formed in the domed end closure 21 and are joined thereto in afluid-tight connection such as by soldering or brazing. it will be noted that the terminating end 22 of the inner hollow member 1% is located in a transverse plane passing through the nozzle structures 29 and the passageway 11 of the hollow inner member 11 is in fluid communication with the passageway 15 but not in fluid communication with the passageways provided by the elongated hollow members 14.

In order to compensate for temperature differences between elements of the device, the elongated hollow members 14 are provided with offset portions 30 intermediate their ends to permit different expansions of the elongated hollow members 14 and the hollow outer member 12. The offset portions 30 are preferably located within the outer end portion 16 adjacent its end to which the inner end portion 17 is joined. The offset portions are formed by displacing one portion of each of the elongated hollow members from another portion of respective hollow members by an angle equal to the angular spacing between the elongated hollow members. The portions of the elongated hollow members outwardly of the offset connections 30 are preferably spaced from the outer surface of the hollow inner member and the inner surface of the overlying portion 16 to facilitate providing the seal 26 between these surfaces at the ends 25 of the elongated hollow members. This feature not only simplifies construction of the device but also makes it possible to easily replace the elongated hollow members and the portion of the device including the nozzles 29 as may be required. 7

In operation, the device is supported in a metallurgical furnace such as an open hearth furnace for refining steel by suitable supporting structure cooperating with the outer end portion 16 of the hollow outer member .12 preferably inwardly of the coolant outlet connection 19 and outwardly of the connection between the portions 16 and 17. The supporting structure would preferably be designed to provide inward and outward movement of the device as well as universal movement about its longitudinal axis. A source of suitable coolant such as water is connected to the coolant inlet connection 24 and a coolant discharge conduit is connected to the cool ant outlet connection 19. Also, a source of fluidsuch as oxygen is connected to the fluid inlet connection 18. V

The oxygen flows into the chamber 28 .and from this chamber through passageways 15. of the elongated hollow members 14 and discharges into the furnace through thenozzles 29 providing a large area of impingement onto At the same time, cooling fluid flows through the passageway 11 of the hollow inner member 10 and discharges from the end 22 directly onto the inner surface of the domed end 21 and outwardly from the domed end 21 to the coolant outlet connection 19 through the chamber 13 in heat exchange relationadjacent t-he discharge openings of the'nozzle structures.

The feature of the present invention of providing a plurality of elongated hollow members 14 for introduc. ing fluid such as oxygen into the reaction zone of the furnace with the elongated hollow members being positioned in the chamber comprising the space between the hollow inner member 10 and the hollow outer member 12 makes it possible to easily provide any desired relationship between the cross-sectional area of the passageways for the incoming coolant and the outgoing coolant without consideration of the total cross-sectional area of the oxygen supplying passageway. It will be appreciated this feature of the invention makes it possible to design the oxygen flow passageway, that is, the passageways 15 of the elongated hollow members 14, by only considering oxygen flow requirements, and to design the passageway 11 of the hollow inner member 16 by considering only coolant inlet flow requirements. The required cross-sectional area of the coolant outlet passage 19 is established by selecting the proper internal diameter of the member 12 when considering the area of the inner member ltland the total area of the elongated hollow members 14. Thus, in accordance with the present invention, desired relative cross-sectional areas of the coolant inlet passageway and the coolant outlet passageway, such as equal or proportional relationships, may be readily obtained.

In addition to the feature of establishing inlet coolant flow and the outlet coolant flow relationships as described above, the feature provided by the present invention of terminating the discharge end 22 of the hollow inner member 10 in. adjacent relationship with the portion of the domed end 21 within the nozzle structures 29 and of locating the nozzle structures in the path of the coolant fluid fromthe discharge end 22 to the return passageway '13 improves the cooling of the device in the region subject to high temperatures and overcomes cooling problems ordinarily present in multi-nozzle fluid transfer devices.

. It therefore becomes necessary to repair or replace com- 1 tion in which the outside diameter of the device has been ponents of the device particularly components subjected to high temperatures. The fluid transfer device provided by the present invention is adapted for disassembly and replacement of component parts. In particular, should any portion of the discharge end of the device become damaged due to excessive temperatures, the inner end portion 17 of the hollow outer member 12, the hollow inner member 10 and the elongated hollow members 14 may be removed as a unitary structure by breaking the seal between the inner and outer end'portions of the hollow outer member, the seal 27 between the hollow inner member 10 and the end portion 16, and the seal 26 in the region of the ends 25 of the elongated hollow members 14. These components of the device may be easily replaced and the damaged components may be repaired for future use.

There is thus provided by the present invention a novel fluid transfer device adapted for introducing a fluid into a high temperature reaction zone such as a metallurgical furnace. Highly eflici'ent cooling of the device is obtained by providing optimum relationship between the inward and outward flow of cooling fluid and by directing the incoming cooling fluid onto portions of the device which are subject to the highest temperatures, including the discharge nozzles, while at the same time providing a device whichis of small cross-sectional area, as compared to the devices provided by the prior art and which results in a substantial reduction of coolant demands. For example, fluid transfer devices have been constructed and successfully operated in accordance with the present invensubstantially reduced and in which the coolant require- 'ments have been reduced from 6000 gallons per'hour requiredby the prior art to 4000-2500 gallons per hour. The latter feature also results in a material reduction in heat losses from the furnace which maybe of the order of about 1,500,000 B.t.u. for each fluid transfer device.

Although only one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed and described herein, it is to be expressly understood that various changes and substitutions may be made therein Without departing from the spirit of the invention as well understood by those skilled in the art. Reference therefore will be had to the appended claims for a definition of the limits of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A fluid transfer device for introducing a fluid into the high temperature combustion Zone of a metallurgical furnace from a point exterior to the furnace comprising a fluid inlet end located outside the furnace and a fluid discharge end located within the furnace,

the fluid inlet end including fluid inlet means, coolant inlet means, and coolant discharge means,

an elongated inner tubular member and an elongated outer tubular member, with the elongated outer tubular member being in overlapping relationship with the elongated inner tubular member between the fluid inlet end and the fluid discharge end of the transfer device,

the elongated inner tubular member defining a coolant inlet passage located within the elongated inner tubular member,

the outer surface of the inner tubular member being spaced from the inner surface of the elongated outer tubular member to define therebetween a single elongated chamber,

means connecting the coolant inlet means at the fluid inlet end of the transfer device to the coolant inlet passage,

a plurality of elongated fluid inlet tubes located in spaced relationship within the elongated chamber defined by the outer surface of the inner tubular member and the inner surface of the outer tubular memher and extending longitudinally through the elongated chamber between the fluid inlet end and the fluid discharge end of the device,

the total cross sectional area of the elongated fluid inlet tubes being substantially less than the cross sectional area of the elongated chamber so as to define a coolant return passage within the elongated chamber exterior to and in contact with the elongated fluid inlet tubes,

means connecting the fluid inlet means to the elongated fluid inlet tubes at the fluid inlet end of the transfer device,

closure means at the discharge end of the transfer device,

the closure means including an end wall joined to the outer tubular member forming an end chamber communicating with the coolant inlet passage and the coolant return passage,

a plurality of individual fluid nozzles with each fluid nozzle joined to a separate individual fluid inlet tube and extending through the end chamber and the end wall of the closure means, and

means at the fluid inlet end of the transfer device connecting the coolant return passage to the coolant discharge means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the inner tubular member extends into the end chamber of the closure means and terminates in spaced relationship to the end wall.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 in which the plurality of fluid nozzles are inclined outwardly from the longitudinal axis of the device and in which the inner tubular member overlaps a portion of each of the fluid nozzles within the end chamber.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,598,393 Kalling et a1. May 27, 1952 2,878,115 Schane Mar. 17, 1959 FOREIGN PATENTS 774,454 Great Britain May 8, 1957 793,655 Great Britain Apr. 23, 1958 OTHER REFERENCES Iron and Steel Engineer, pp. -75, February 1960. 

1. A FLUID TRANSFER DEVICE FOR INTRODUCING A FLUID INTO THE HIGH TEMPERATURE COMBUSTION ZONE OF A METALLURGICAL FURNACE FROM A POINT EXTERIOR TO THE FURNACE COMPRISING A FLUID INLET END LOCATED OUTSIDE THE FURNACE AND A FLUID DISCHARGE END LOCATED WITHIN THE FURNACE, THE FLUID INLET END INCLUDING FLUID INLET MEANS, COOLANT INLET MEANS, AND COOLANT DISCHARGE MEANS, AN ELONGATED INNER TUBULAR MEMBER AND AN ELONGATED OUTER TUBULAR MEMBER, WITH THE ELONGATED OUTER TUBULAR MEMBER BEING IN OVERLAPPING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ELONGATED INNER TUBULAR MEMBER BETWEEN THE FLUID INLET END AND THE FLUID DISCHARGE END OF THE TRANSFER DEVICE, THE ELONGATED INNER TUBULAR MEMBER DEFINING A COOLANT INLET PASSAGE LOCATED WITHIN THE ELONGATED INNER TUBULAR MEMBER, THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE INNER TUBULAR MEMBER BEING SPACED FROM THE INNER SURFACE OF THE ELONGATED OUTER TUBULAR MEMBER TO DEFINE THEREBETWEEN A SINGLE ELONGATED CHAMBER, MEANS CONNECTING THE COOLANT INLET MEANS AT THE FLUID INLET END OF THE TRANSFER DEVICE TO THE COOLANT INLET PASSAGE, A PLURALITY OF ELONGATED FLUID INLET TUBES LOCATED IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITHIN THE ELONGATED CHAMBER DEFINED BY THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE INNER TUBULAR MEMBER AND THE INNER SURFACE OF THE OUTER TUBULAR MEMBER AND EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THROUGH THE ELONGATED CHAMBER BETWEEN THE FLUID INLET END AND THE FLUID DISCHARGE END OF THE DEVICE, THE TOTAL CROSS SECTIONAL AREA OF THE ELONGATED FLUID INLET TUBES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN THE CROSS SECTIONAL AREA OF THE ELONGATED CHAMBER SO AS TO DEFINE A COOLANT RETURN PASSAGE WITHIN THE ELONGATED 